The author asks just how accurate our memories are with this book. Looking back, are our memories reliable and accurate? Or do we remember things a little differently from how they were? I find this topic extremely interesting and have often wondered the same thing. I do believe it’s in our nature to remember things with a slightly rosier tint, remember a better version of true events.

I started reading this book without reading a blurb, which is out of the ordinary for me. After the first couple of chapters, I was reminded of Stephen King’s IT. The Shadow Man holds some similarities to IT but the author created an ending that you would never see coming. I was wrapped up in this book and eager to see where he was going to go.

Flip has blank stops when she looks back at her teenage years, spaces of time that are simply empty. When an old nightmare returns and she receives an email from an old friend she has forgotten all about, she returns to the village where she grew up.

Reunited with the four girls she spent her childhood with, these five women compare notes and slowly start uncovering the memories they had all left in the past. Are the dreams they are having truly what happened back then? Together they set out to uncover the truth of their youth, the truth about The Shadow Man.

As a Stephen King fan, I was a little concerned at first that this story held some similarities to IT. However, as I kept turning the pages, I soon discovered that while there might be a few things that reminded me of IT, the author essentially created a brilliantly creative story very different to IT.

I raced through this book in two sittings, eagerly turning the pages wanting to know who or what The Shadow Man was! The ending holds a surprise that I did not see coming, making The Shadow Man a fantastic read for me.

The five women in this book are a dazzling mix of personalities. I enjoyed how different they were, yet they were a tight group who depended on each other in their youth and easily fell back into that routine when they were reunited. 

Halfway through this book, I was convinced I had the storyline all figured out. When the author did an about-turn changing everything around, that is when I decided I loved the book. The Shadow Man is full of surprises that will keep you entertained right to the end.

This book will appeal to horror and thriller fans and I must add that if you enjoyed IT, give this book a try, you will love it.